Atlanta Hawks 6th man of the year candidate linked to Denver Nuggets in new major trade rumor

The NBA is heading into trade rumor season. With the Dec. 15 trade window now passed, more players around the league are up for trade, and contending teams will be looking around the league for upgrades to their roster as they chase a championship. One team that will be looking for an upgrade is the Denver Nuggets. Denver is 14-11 and in the middle of the Western Conference standings, but the Nuggets haven’t looked like a dominant team this year. They’re still good, but this franchise is looking to maximize the window for three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who is having another incredible season.

The Nuggets are really looking for upgrades, and according to Tony Jones and Sam Amick of The Athletic, one of those upgrades could be Hawks forward and 6th Man Of The Year candidate De’Andre Hunter. In one new reportJones and Amick linked Hunter to the Nuggets:

“As a result, the Nuggets have either expressed interest in or had initial trade discussions about the following players: Chicago’s Zach Lavine, Washington’s Jordan Poole, Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter, Brooklyn’s Cam Johnson and Washington’s Jonas Valančiūnas.

League sources say the focus on LaVine in recent discussions is significant, with the Nuggets interested in the 29-year-old, who is averaging 21.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season. LaVine, a two-time All-Star, is owed $43 million this season, $45.9 million next season and has a player option worth $48.9 million for the 2026-2027 campaign.”

Now it should be noted that the reported interest comes from the Nuggets side. It doesn’t say Atlanta is interested in trading Hunter, who are in active talks to move Hunter. Although he has been involved in many trade rumors in the past, it may not be wise for the Hawks to trade Hunter.

After an early absence to start the season, Hunter has played arguably the best basketball of his career. He is currently the Hawks third leading scorer, averaging 19.3 PPG on 47% shooting from the field and 45% from three. He has thrived in his role coming off the bench and is a big reason for the Hawks’ recent rise. Atlanta has won seven of its last nine games and reached the NBA Cup semifinals before losing to Milwaukee. HIS season has led him to be in contention for the 6th Man of the Year award and at Fanduel Sportsbookhe is currently second in the odds for the award, behind only Payton Pritchard.

There will likely be more reports linking Hunter to various teams, but remember, until something says otherwise, there is nothing out there that says the Hawks are actively looking to trade Hunter.

It will be interesting to see how the Hawks handle the deadline. If they feel they can grab a top-4 seed in the Eastern Conference, do they become buyers and try to run? Or do they stand by and let this group see what happens? Atlanta is a young team with guys like Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher and Jalen Johnson being the cornerstones of the franchise, and they might just want to see those guys continue to improve. Unless there’s a great deal out there that not only benefits the Hawks for this season, but the future as well, I think Atlanta might just be stuck at the deadline. The next month or so will be crucial for the Hawks to figure this out.

Additional links:

Updated Eastern Conference standings: Atlanta remains in the hunt for top-six seed after NBA Cup Run

NBA analyst asks tough question about Hawks’ No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher

Highlights from the Atlanta Hawks’ NBA Cup Run